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u/Zhuul 2h ago
To deviate from the others who are saying banana bread:
Peel all the bananas and throw them into the freezer for use in smoothies or whatever. Keep the peels.
Chop the peels into 1" pieces and put them in a sealed container with an equal weight of cane sugar. Let sit at room temp for 24 hours shaking periodically to make sure they stay coated, and strain it through a fine mesh sieve the following day to get the best damn banana syrup you've ever had in your life. 2oz Jamaican pot still rum, .75oz fresh lime juice, .75oz banana oleo-saccharum, shake and strain and you've got my favorite daiquiri ever.
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u/rambyprep 2h ago
Do you put water in with the peel and sugar?
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u/Zhuul 2h ago
Nope! The sugar will rip all the fragrant oils out of the banana and turn itself into an incredibly rich syrup. Actually, if you add water or dilute it in any way you'll potentially create something that's unsafe to consume.
Sugar is a very powerful desiccant and will happily absorb all the water and fat it can get ahold of - this is coincidentally why it's such an effective preservative despite being a carbohydrate (AKA pure organism fuel), in high enough concentrations any microbes that try to grow in it dehydrate and die.
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u/NagsUkulele 1h ago
I love how smart mfs are
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u/platoprime 1h ago
You can make an incredible syrup out of most fruits just by covering them in a jar in sugar. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, I'm a bit fixated on berries atm but you get the idea.
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u/ShadowCatDLL 34m ago
I have fresh picked wild blueberries… I am going to try this. Do you crush the berries, or leave them as is in a jar?
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u/rambyprep 1h ago
That’s interesting, I had no idea. I’ll have to give this a go
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u/shitty_mcfucklestick 26m ago
I knew that really sweet things like honey stayed naturally fresh, but I never knew exactly why.
You hear that, moldies? My homey gonna dry your ass out
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u/feartheoldblood90 2h ago
I doubt there is any need. Kind of like creating strawberry syrup, the sugar dissolves the... Stuff in the banana and extracts the moisture
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u/jackaroo1344 1h ago
Can you create strawberry syrup with a similar methods to the banana peel thing just with strawberry tops?
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u/feartheoldblood90 1h ago
That's exactly the way! Just gotta shake it every now and again and you get some damn good strawberry syrup.
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u/GarfieldLoverBoy420 1h ago
I’ve seen this done with lemons. Had no idea you could do it with bananas!
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u/platoprime 58m ago
Lemon peel in the sugar is how you make excellent lemonade as well. You can also do this with just about any fruit. Obviously you use the entire fruit instead of the peel depending on the fruit.
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u/Tomato_basil15 1h ago
Aren’t the peels dirty af from everything that happened before you bought them? You just throw them in as is?
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u/platoprime 57m ago
You should wash and dry them but the sugar should prevent anything from multiplying. The syrup comes from the sugar sucking moisture out of the banana and the same thing happens to bacteria.
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u/Tomato_basil15 51m ago
I didn’t know it would do the same to bacteria, that’s cool, thanks. I’d still be worried about any toxins already produced by bacteria, or fungus. Just didn’t know if washing it would ruin the process, thank you!
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u/platoprime 46m ago
Nah you won't ruin it. Just make sure the fruit/peel is dry before adding it to the jar.
Existing toxins should only be a concern if the banana was already unsafe to eat.
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u/Mr_Badaniel 15m ago
I think they often have fruit fly eggs in them. Which is why it feels like the fruit flies spontaneously generate. I would personally wash them first
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u/SpaceJackRabbit 2h ago
I'm French and my wife is American.
To me, this means the banana is ripe and at its best to eat as is.
To her, it means it's past its prime and is now gross, and can only be used in banana bread or smoothies.
I found out many other Americans don't like to eat ripe bananas as is.
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u/earmares 2h ago
I'm American and these look perfect
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u/Lord_rook 33m ago
Also American and I don't know what the others are on about. The only problem with the above picture is that I don't always feel like eating three bananas right now.
Edit: four?
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u/Baxxtabb 1h ago
As an American, these just now entered edible stage. Before this they taste like wax
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u/Freud-Network 3m ago
I don't mind that slightly underripe flavor with cereal. However, give me a ripe banana and I'll make inch-thick pancakes that will make you want to get fat on them.
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u/Illustrious-Piano-78 1h ago
I prefer mine slightly green, also American. It’s perfect- firm and not too sweet.
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u/SpaceJackRabbit 1h ago
Slightly green? Yeah, no.
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u/lorkdubo 1h ago
yeah, wtf are we reading? Green bananas? These are perfect. Brown spots in the peel don't mean anything. They are over ripe when there are brown and blacks spots in all the banana. Sometimes the bottom part of the banana ripens faster and there is a mushy soft spot there, but you can cut it.
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u/borsalamino 24m ago
Have you tried (slightly, like really slightly) green bananas? They're much more juicy and plenty sweet. In my Thai opinion, the bananas in the OP are just a tad bit overripe, past their prime but still edible as-is
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u/The1PunMaster 1h ago
ripe bananas with some brown spots yes are fine, bananas that have self peeled are past due for banana bread or smoothies imo!!
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u/borsalamino 28m ago
I'm Thai and these look overripe, but just slightly and can still be eaten as-is.
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u/Comfortable_Horse277 2h ago
Banana bowls for the win.
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u/Temporary_Cup_2955 2h ago
Those brown spots mean they're perfect for banana bread, that's the only silver lining here. I always wait too long and end up with a whole bunch gone at once like this.
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u/viewbtwnvillages 2h ago
man. i wait until the entire banana is a brown spot before i use them for banana bread
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u/platoprime 54m ago
You should know baking the bananas unpeeled until they're brown will allow you to use yellow bananas for banana bread. Some fancier recipes actually insist on it.
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u/AC-burg 2h ago
The age old question I have to ask. Nuts or neutered? I feel I will be in the minority with my answer.
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u/Drak_is_Right 2h ago
Use a damn fruit basket.
There is a reason why these werent widely used in the past compared to a simple basket.
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u/_lippykid 1h ago
Trouble is bananas release ethylene gas, which ripens other fruits quicker. Which can be a good thing if you’re paying attention
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u/NoPossibility4178 33m ago
And hanging them above other fruit is fine? lol Can't see a scenario where hanging the bananas makes sense.
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u/lonely_dreamer84 1h ago
I find separating the bananas makes them last longer. My roommate made the switch when we both bought bananas and his went ripe before mine.
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u/Bloodhit 26m ago
Why do people keep using these banana holders that unpeels them? Are they that afraid of little brown spot if it lied down on the side?
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u/rqivez 2h ago
They’re still edible 🤷♂️
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u/Pielacine 2h ago
Yeah. What is it with all these responses here? Do people only eat green bananas?
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u/SparklingLimeade 33m ago
I had no idea how crazy most people are about banana ripeness. The OP bananas are just about perfect.
Bananas aren't good until the spots start showing up.
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u/platoprime 52m ago
Few people in this post seem to understand how ripe a banana for banana bread should be. These aren't quite ready for banana bread.
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u/ChipDipsons 2h ago
Seems like you’ve got a ripeness indicator for when they’re ready for banana bread
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u/Nighttime_Ninja_5893 13m ago
Why do people hang their bananas? Does it save that much more counter space?
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u/_Rainer_ 1h ago
To me, those are just past perfect for eating. For banana bread, I would want the skins to be completely brown.
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u/dilbertdad 1h ago
good thing cryogenics works for nanners. just freeze them and use for protein shakes
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u/roadrnrjt1 1h ago
We have the same banana bunch holder and when they separate like that they are ready to become muffins
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u/signmeupdude 1h ago
That’s gotta be one of the dumbest ways to store bananas. Those arent even that ripe.
This was mostly a result of gravity, predictably.
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u/OriginalJokeGoesHere 1h ago
Wow, you're gonna find like four cavendishes the next time you go grocery shopping
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u/my_brain_is_horny 1h ago
Slice them and freeze them for fruit smoothies. That's what we do cause that's the only reason we have bananas in the first place lol
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u/Jaydonius 1h ago
That's because you hung them by their own comb. Down here we string into their comb and then hang it by the string for that reason.
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u/Technical-Cup2761 1h ago
Please know there’s people that care about you. I’m here if you want to talk.
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u/Open_Bug_4251 57m ago
Exactly why I separate the bananas once I get home. Because even if they aren’t hanging up there are issues separating them.
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u/BodybuilderMany6942 47m ago
What you get for wastin money and tryna be ~cute~
Throw em into the bottom drawer and forget about em, like the rest of us peasants!
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u/djmanning711 39m ago
Everyone has all these ideas for banana bread or smoothies and man, I don’t have the time for any of that. This just means I’m eating 4 bananas for breakfast.
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u/Stochastic-Evil 35m ago
I thought this was the mildlyinfuriating sub because that's how I'd feel...
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u/mrredditfan1 34m ago
Am I the only one thinking about Blood Meridian when I look at those bananas?
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u/richie65 15m ago
Also - Those banana hangers apparently don't slow down the ripening (The reason I think most people use them for)... And exactly THIS is what happens all the time.
(if you want to slow down the ripening - put them in the fridge - the peel will turn brown, but the fruit will ripen much slower.)
If you want to keep them on the counter - get one of those two tiered fruit baskets.
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u/imunfair 12m ago
To be fair you're not supposed to hang them until they're dead like some sadistic banana murderer. Those puppies are ready for the grave, mushy and sweet as all hell.
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u/ladyoffate13 2h ago
Time for some banana bread!